'Watchmen' Pirate Film 'Black Freighter' Gets R Rating (Blog)

Category: Watchmen/Tales of the Black Freighter News | Posted by:DaisyMayArticle Date: January 8, 2009 | Publication: Splash Page | Author: Brian WarmothPublication/Article Link:Splash Page
You know “Watchmen” is going to be dark. Now it looks like its tandem DVD-release pirate story may be even darker. Last year, the New York Times reported that Warner Bros. would be releasing two of the “Watchmen” graphic novel’s stories-within-the-story as their own DVD feature. Today, it looks the pirate comic within the comic, “Tales of the Black Freighter,” may have earned an R rating from the MPAA, according to RopeofSilicon.com.

Warner Bros. has been breaking out loads of extra “Watchmen” content ahead of the film’s March 6 release date, which may be dangling by a thread. And anyone who’s been watching the trailers knows director Zack Snyder fully intends to flesh out original writer Alan Moore’s bleak portrait on superheroes.

“Tales of the Black Freighter,” however, has a special place in the “Watchmen” story. It plays the role of a comic read by children that prods at the 1950s speculation that comics inspired juvenile delinquency and poison young minds. If Snyder wants to play that up to its fullest, it’s completely understandable that this animated swashbuckling story could be slapped with an R rating.

This latest ratings report lacks a rating for “Under the Hood,” Hollis Mason’s tale about his life as Nite-Owl. While there is an IMdB listing for “Freighter,” which includes Gerard Butler in the lead voicing role, there is no such entry for “Under the Hood.” Both were reported to be on a single DVD release hitting on March 10, four days after “Watchmen” comes to theaters (unless the “Watchmen” legal drama forces a delay).

So do you like pirate movies? If you’ve read “Watchmen,” do you think an R rating is appropriate for “Tales of the Black Freighter”? Chime in with your thoughts below.